Needing Time
by Kyoshi-Angel of Artisan
Summary: Continues where Needing Truth left off. Full Summery inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BDZ or any of its characters; wish I did though but I don't.

**Description:** With the threat of Buu past, not everything is back as it should be. In the wake of Buu's rampage, what has the creature awakened? What about Gohan? Will he survive the pregnancy with the next heir to the throne of Hell?

**Warning:** Rated for M for Male Pregnancy, language, sexual content, graphic description and violence.

_**Needing Time:**_

Chapter One: Gohan's POV

Monday mornings were a drag. I didn't want to go to school but Piccolo and Dad agreed it would be for the best if I still went to school until I started to show signs of my pregnancy. I didn't agree with it, but I wasn't going to argue with them. They wanted to know that I was still being watched at all times. They still didn't know why I was sick after being absorbed by Buu. It was gone by this morning which is why I was going to school.

I parked the one man motorcycle in the parking lot and sighed; it so wasn't the same as flying, nor as satisfying. For a moment I just sat on the bike thinking about this pregnancy, the twins I was carrying. After everything that happened with Buu last week, and school re-opens today.

"Gohan... you're here? I didn't think you'd be showing up today...Videl is calling all of us who was on that lookout place up the roof to talk about it and to keep it between us." I looked at Erissa. I didn't know what to say to her; it had slipped my mind that they were on the lookout during the Buu ordeal. I nodded to her getting off the bike to fallow her up to the roof; I'm guessing Videl already talked to the teachers about letting us miss class since she was the one who could get away with doing anything within the school. Getting there we were the only ones up there for the time being. "Gohan about what was said up there... I didn't imagine that...did I?" I looked at her blinking and sighed taking a seat on the edge of the roof, looking down.

"No but I'll explain everything when everyone is here, it saves me from having to repeat myself twice." I said resisting the urge to rub my stomach or reaching out to touch Piccolo's mind. I saw him less than an hour ago and yet it already felt too long since I saw him. It was still going to be most of a day before I would see him unless I skip school which wasn't such a bad idea rate now. I could teleport away and not deal with any of this. That what dad would do, I love him but I'm the one who carries the responsibilities that he doesn't want; this being one of them.

"Erissa...Gohan you're here?!" I heard the shock in Sharpner's voice. I simply waved at them. Dread filled me. I didn't know what to expect at the moment with my 'friends?' Slowly I looked up at him to see him standing there with Videl, and her father. I sighed run my hand though my hair.

"Yes I'm here, and can we please get on with this meeting?" I asked looking back down. This so isn't what I planned to be doing today, to top it off I couldn't feel Piccolo again which meant he went to Hell or he got really good at hiding from me which hurt because he's my mate, we're suppose to trust each other with everything...aren't we?

"Okay Gohan, what the hell is going on? What was that place? What the hell are you? Those... freaks?" Leave it to Sharpner to call us freaks for a lack of better words. This would be easier if I could gather the whole team for this to explain it to them but what's the point there not going to be accepted into the Z-warriors, not easily anyways.

"Where you were brought to, that was the lookout. It's the place where the guardian of the Earth lives. We're called the Z-warrior's; a group that was formed about 22 years ago to take on King Piccolo. The team was never disbanded, instead they gather together to fight against threats to the planet such as Cell and Buu. Tien; the man with three eyes, Krillen; shortest guy of the group, Yamcha; has the scar on his face are pure humans and founding members of the team. Goku, the guy with the halo, Vegeta; the one with the bad attitude are pure saiyans; it's an alien race that's near extinct. Myself, my little brother and the lavender hair boy; we're hybrids between human and saiyans."

"Quit pulling our leg, kid" Hercule growled at me. I sighed closing me eyes. I let myself go super saiyan. I looked at him again. I could see the fear in his eyes.

"Yeah, because pure humans can do this at will" I said. I felt it, the tiny lives in me reaching up to pull energy from me. Slowly I slipped out of it. "I was the kid who fought Cell, the one you guys kept calling the delivery boy." I said dryly. Slowly directing my energy towards the life within me, I fought the urge to my hand to rest on my stomach again, gripping them tighter to the edge of the room trying not to break it.

"Gohan, are you okay? You're looking pale" Erissa asked. I nodded to her but I was starting to feel ill again, the dizziness coming back. Powering up was defiantly something I shouldn't do while being pregnant. Piccolo wouldn't be happy when he learned about this, if I see him tonight. I don't know, he seemed to be pulling away from me again and I didn't know how to stop it, so I didn't try to stop it. It was like when he left for Namek all over again. I wanted to beg him to stay, but I couldn't change his mind when he made it up.

"You really are pregnant?" Sharpner asked, the disgust, shock and fear playing in his voice. I sighed, so much for friends being there in your moment of need or always having your back, like he claimed.

"Yes, it's possible because I'm not fully human. It wasn't something that I wanted to say or have anyone know yet, but it came out. I'm not going to ask you to understand or accept it. The only thing I'm going to ask is that you don't say anything about this to anyone. I don't care what happens to me but I have my brother, Trunks, and my child to think about, and they don't need to be labelled as freaks by humans." I said. I blinked feeling Trunks flying towards us. I looked over my shoulder to see him with Goten, who barely looked awake. "Vegeta let you two go to school even thought you two just had to start the mating ritual?" I asked taking Goten from him. He cuddled into me falling asleep. I noticed Trunks glaring at Videl and the others.

"Mom made us go even though Goten told her he wasn't feeling well. You're that Videl girl aren't you?" He asked her, his torn darkening.

"Trunks, watch your tone. You're not helping things." I said as I looked over my brother. He wasn't burning up, nor was he pale. The mark on his right wrist looked raw and infected even though it wasn't. "Trunks grab the first aid kit in my back pack" I said gently holding his wrist. I heard the others coming closer to see that was going on. "I also want to see your wrist Trunks" I said to him as he sat the kit beside me, opening it for me.

"Gohan; is this what you meant when you side the mating ritual was dangerous?" Videl's tone was soft, worry filled her voice. She was one of the few human's who didn't seem to care what we were, just who we are. I warped applied cold gel to his wrist around the scare. I didn't dare touch it. I knew what it was like to have another besides Piccolo touch my mark; it hurt, I could tolerate it if Goten or trunks touched the mark or any of the Z-warriors, I trusted them but my mark was complete, Goten's wasn't.

"Sort of, I'm not going to explain it Videl; you don't need to know about it." I said as I wrapped up Goten's wrist as carefully as I could. He winced, trying to pull away from the touch of the cloth on his wrist. "shh, I know Goten, it hurts we'll take a better care of it when we get home okay" I said to him keeping him from trying to rip the cloth off his arm. I applied the cold compact on his arm holding it there trying to ice the area so he couldn't feel anything from it. Trunks looked at Goten worriedly.

"Gohan?"

"Trunks, we'll talk about this just not here or now okay?" I looked at the boy as he nodded. I looked at the others. I needed to know they wouldn't say anything about this before I left. Skipping school was a great idea at the moment. I watched them as Trunks packed the kit back into my bag.

"We won't tell anyone about it Gohan, I promise" Videl said. No one else agreed with her or nodded. It wasn't confidence inspiring but it was better than nothing. I nodded to her before I reached out Trunks who had my bag in his hand. He took my hand, I teleported us to Bulma's.

"Keep him from ripping off that bandage" I said to Trunks before rushing off to the bathroom to throw up.

"What are you two doing here? I though your where at school?" I hear Bulma ask the boys I moved to stand up to help them not get in trouble I ended up throwing up again. Today just wasn't my day. I just wanted to go home, and sleep but I don't see that happening. "Gohan are you here too?" Bulma asked, I didn't answer her; I didn't want to risk throwing up again. My whole body was starting to shake. "Welcome to morning sickness Gohan, who ever said pregnancy was easy was never pregnant." I chuckled at that one. So far I wasn't enjoying being pregnant, at all.

"Dose it ever get easier?" I asked her weakly; looking up at her not moving away from the toilet.

"At times; first kick, first hearing the heart beat, they make it tolerable but the real reward is after you go through birthing the child and holding them in your arms for the first time. That's when you realize all this you're going through is worth it, I'll call your father and Vegeta and the can come pick you up. Staying with them in the country might help you relax" she said softly.

"Bulma, they can't go to school, not till they finish the binding to each other. They started the mating bond and if it isn't finished it'll kill them." I said. I knew my brother would die from the lack of the bond; Trunks would probably kill himself not long after Goten dies. Not that there wasn't a chance they would die from the bond anyways but it was the only hope of them living at the moment. The look in her eyes was that of sorrow, I knew how she felt, it wasn't something any of us wanted for them.

"How are things with you and Piccolo?" I flinched and looked away from her.

"I'm not sure where we stand. During the crisis we stood united; now that it's over I haven't seen him much. He comes to bed late and leaves before I get up. I'm not sure if it's me, the fact that we're going to be parents or what happened that drove him off." I whispered I lowered my head trying to will the tears away, but it didn't work.

"Piccolo still loves you Gohan, he's just busy at the moment with the clean up from the mess Buu made. In a few days, things will return to normal, you'll see." she said before I heard her walk away from me, leaving me alone once more at the moment to think about the talk up on the roof of the school.

**_'Piccolo...I love you' _**I whispered through our mind link and closed my eyes waiting for him to respond.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Piccolo's POV

I sighed, watching Gohan leave for school this morning was hard to do. I know he didn't really want to go to school, even though he tried to hide that fact from me, I still felt his resentment towards the idea of it. I needed him away from home for at least a week. I had an idea that would make him smile, but in order for it to be a surprise, I was going have keep him away from here, though doing that was going to stress him out. That was the last thing he and our child needed. I looked over at the large hold being dug by my workers. If Shin found out that I was using souls from hell to construct a house for Gohan to live in; to raise our child in, he would have my hide for it.

My vision was for a two-story log house with a basement with a portal to my war room down in hell. It makes leaving and coming home from work all the easier without having to go through the check in station. Looking over the waterfall and our cave, there would be large windows that went from the ground to the roof. I could imagine him sitting in the living room before the window watching our waterfall as he nursed our child. A smile touched my face at the thought. Even though I could faintly feel Gohan's dread of going to school, it didn't stop the smile. He was fallowing instincts for his own safety and that of our child, yet I kept telling him not to fallow it. I'm not surprised that he was questioning my loyalty to him.

The first few days after Buu was destroyed left him ill and no one knows why. Hell had no answer, paradise had no answer, Bulma was still doing tests but it wouldn't surprise me that she couldn't find an answer to what was wrong with him. "You know Shin is going to be pissed if he saw this, not to mention I'm not that impressed about you bringing demons from Hell to Earth, Piccolo." I blinked looking over at Dende as he landed. He didn't look impressed about it.

"Don't really care, I'm doing this for Gohan. It wouldn't do him any good for him to give birth in our cave nor would it do any good to raise a child in one. Surly you can accept even that Dende. As for the workers...well they know the penalty for disobeying me or screwing this up, though I'm not leaving them unsupervised. I trust that you have a different reason in mind for seeing me other than to complain about the workforce I picked for this task." I asked him, knowing that it was more than I spoke most of the time to anyone besides my mate. Dende sighed as he sat on a large rock beside me.

"I'm worried about Gohan and what caused him to be so sick after being free from Buu...I went digging in the library up on the Lookout to see if I could find anything about it. No such luck but I did happen across something interesting that I think you might want to know. I came across a fable of the first king of the demons. It said that at his fall to the hands of the second king; he cursed the demon thrown so that no kings would be able to sire a child; that when his queen was reborn to the world he would rise again to reclaim his rightful place." I looked at him blinking. I didn't like how that sounded if it was true. In my time as current king and the memories from my time as the former king Piccolo I heard nothing about such a curse or anything about the first Demon king.

"I'll look into the matter Dende..."

"I know you will Piccolo, but I'm worried that Gohan might not be up to this. How much more must he endure Piccolo? He shouldn't have to be going through this much stress even if he was a full blooded saiyan." I nodded in agreement.

"We didn't have much choice about this remember. It was mate with Gohan, or watch him die. If I recall you begged me not to let him die... if I was smart I wouldn't have waited as long to mate with him as I did." I said softly turning my gaze back to the demons working on my project and its workers. I closed my eyes and sighed, this was giving even me a headache.

**_'Piccolo...I love you...'_** I head Gohan faintly whisper into my mind. It was so timid and small I froze. Was he scared of me because I wanted to surprise him and kept him out of the loop on this?

**_'I love you too my sweetest light. Are you alright, you don't sound alright?'_** I asked softly, I couldn't kept out the worry about my voice. His mind shifted and closed itself off from me. I bit my lip trying to keep myself from going to him. **_'Gohan?'_**

**_'I'm fine Piccolo, just distracted by class, that's all'_** I couldn't tell if he was lying to me or not.

"Piccolo, you alright? Your claws are digging into the rock and you're starting to crack it." I opened my eyes and looked down at my hand. Indeed, I was cracking it and I could hear the worry in his voice.

"You should go back to the Lookout Dende, it wouldn't do any good if Shin came for a visit and you where not there."

"Like just now, but then it doesn't surprise me that you're with your brother, little dove. I trust your Demons will speak nothing of this?" I smirked at Shin who backed away a step.

"How can they? They're mutes, tongues cut from out of their mouths" both of them shuttered backing away from me. "It's their punishment for being snitches in life, for their petty crimes. They're some of the more...fortunate souls in Hell. What can I do for you Shin? Or is it that your here only for Dende's attention?" I asked not bothering to move. I watch as the demons climbed out of the hole waiting for the inspection of it. I left them standing there waiting for me, I wouldn't go over there until Shin and Dende left.

"Dende mostly, but since I'm here, how is the Queen?" His tone was guarded about it. I didn't bother to answer him, at least not in the way he was hoping for.

"You're hiding something from me so spill it or be gone. I have work to do" I grunted out, board with talking to him already.

"Gohan is going to have twins and he's the marked warrior of the universe, according to my great ancestor, anything beyond that I have no knowledge of. Come Dende I wish to show you something." His voice soften, sweetened when he turned his attention to Dende who nearly melted into to fellow god. I rolled my eyes. He knew I would kill him for hurting Dende but I wouldn't do anything to stop it. If it made my little brother happy; who am I do deny him that.

"I'm going to check in on the boys and Gohan a little later today, anything you want me to pass along to your mate?" I froze for a moment before looking over at Dende.

"Tell him that I need a few days to adjust and let things sink in about the prospect of being a father, if he won't stay with his moronic father, have him stay up on the Lookout with you till I finish this project." I said to him before walking away from both of them. I knew before they even bothered to open their mouths that Gohan wasn't going to take that well but I needed some time to get this set up both here and in Hell for him to stay at my side.

"I'll see what I can do Piccolo, but Gohan might not take it well and you might have to settle this out with him before he does something stupid." I nod waved them off at that one. Gohan doesn't do stupid things, he does the most logical thing in the world to protect those he loves. In this case, it might mean that I drove him away from my side till after our children have grown up. I couldn't say for sure though...trying to read his actions were unpredictable, due to the pregnancy.

I walked over to the large 200 by 150 foot hole that was dug for the basement. I nodded my approval of it. "Proceed to the next phase I want it finished within the next three hours." I said to them spurring them to get back to work.

"My King, a word if you please?" Halcor's voice rang out behind me. I turned to him. "Away from the workers, mi'lord" there was something in his voice that spoke of urgency. I led him away from the hole, over towards the waterfall though I stopped before he could see the path into the cave. He blinked looking at the waterfall. "This is where you claimed our queen isn't it?"

"Behind the fall, this is as close as I'm going to let you get without him around. What is it that brings you to me with such urgency?" I asked him. Since Dabura betrayed my trust, I'm without a right hand man in Hell; yes I had Gohan at my side but without my right hand advisor I had a opening that could destroy the fragile balance I had set up in Hell.

"Worry not my king; I won't venture any closer then this to that place. I risk not the wrath of the queen. I came to inform you that in the bottom ring of Hell, the ring of Void; something came from shooting up from its depths. The Guards that were stationed there failed to report in after that, all attempts to reach them have failed. The even happened about 20 minutes ago now. I came as fast as I could, though I wasn't easy getting here to report it to you my king. I also came to report that the thrown for the queen is ready for your Inspections and preparations for the room for the heir has begun." I couldn't move; I had a hard time trying to breathe hearing that. Even what he said at the end didn't lessen the blow of that news. Perhaps the story Dende found was true, that the demon king was cursed to have no born heir.

"Halcor... Go to Gohan's side and guard him with our life. I'm going to go check things out about this report. Where about on the ring of deception were they?" I asked snapping my fingers the workers were gone. I wasn't going to trust them to keep working on my project without me here to supervise them. It could wait till whatever this thing is taken care of.

"Where is the Queen, my King?" I forgot that Halcor had never come to Earth before. He was one of the few Demons born within hell.

"I'll take you to him before I go to Hell and find out where that creature went. This is unusual for the ring of Void to send anything out. Everything sent there never returns. I've never even been past his clouds to know what lies beneath. The risk of not returning was too great..." I sighed holding my hand out towards my commander. He took it hesitantly, not that I blame him, I would be hesitant in his position too.

Teleporting to Bulma's was easy but I didn't teleport into the house with Halcor with me; he had to see the outside of it first. So he knew what the area looked like from the outside. I walked into the house without bothering to knock, I knew he would fallow still hesitant about my actions at the moment after the news he brought. I walked into the living room to see Trunks kneeling over Goten, from the looks of it both of them had just been kissing. "Goten; where's your brother?" I asked not caring that they were kissing, I figured they would have attempted to complete the mating bond sooner than now.

"P-Pic-Piccolo? Ah...Gohan was here...I think he's holding up in the washroom, or he's laying down in the medical bay; he didn't look so good after he teleported us here this morning" He said worried that he would get scolded by me. Both boys looked at me, Goten looked scared while Trunks looked ready to get pissed off at me for interrupting them.

"Thanks kid, word of advice; if you're going to do that, go up to your room instead of the living room boys" I said before heading to find Gohan. Like Goten said he was holding up in the washroom hunched over the toilet. "Gohan... you okay kid?"

"My queen?" Halcor asked causally; Gohan twitched and curled up on himself further. I walked towards him to notice he tensed up further.

"Just leave me alone, it's what you want isn't it, space? Why else would you avoid me so much? I never asked to be pregnant, but here I am pregnant with twins with a mate who rather not be around me which I already knew when he told me so bluntly to forget my love for him and having so called friends who think I'm some freak to be studied in a lab. Take your lover and leave me be" there was hysteria in his voice. He was shacking, tired and very much upset. I pulled him to me, running my hand over his hair.

"You know that I can't cheat on you my Gohan, Halcor is there because I need someone to watch over you something has come up that I need to check out. I know this wasn't something we planned for right away, being parents my queen but I wouldn't give it up for anything, it just confirms that you're my mate and that our marriage has been consummated. Be honest with me Gohan, if you can't handle going back to school, I won't make you go again."

"Then why? Why come home late into the night and leave before I even wake up even when I'm awake when you are around your more distant then when we first met?" I held him tighter to me rocking him gently. After a moment he clung to me, his tears soaking into my gi's shirt.

"You'll see in a few weeks why I'm so distant and what's been keeping me so busy as of late. You already know part of it. The construction of your throne beside mine and the nursery room in Hell for our twins. I have to, for my own peace of mind, over see each project to make sure that you, my precious Gohan, are safe along with the lives of our children. I have one more project that I'm working out as a gift to you but you have to trust me and bear with me for a few weeks on this." I whisper to him rubbing his back slowly feed my ki slowly into his body. He whimpered cuddling into me at the feel of the power trickling into his body. "Halcor is going to stay with you until I can get back. You'll be safe in the hands of my new right hand advisor. For now stay here at Bulma's, up at the lookout with Dende or with your father at his place. Our cave is off limits till I finish my gift to you. I don't want you to be alone for any reason Gohan."

I didn't get an answer from him. Looking down at him, he had fallen asleep against me. I looked over at Halcor's shocked face. "Mi'lord?"

"Come Halcor, I'll lay Gohan to rest in his room here before going to investigate." I said leading him from the washroom up to the room that Bulma had set up for Gohan. "Lay on the bed Halcor, I'm going to lay Gohan in your arms so you can slowly feel your ki into him, at least one of the twins is a demon and Gohan's body can't keep up to that demands for demonic energy." He did as I asked. It took a few moments for Gohan to settle down to laying against another demon then myself and longer still for him to accept the energy that our children need. "Take good care of him Halcor, I'm entrusting you with something worth more to me than everything within this universe. Rest Gohan, I love you and I'll see you soon my love" I whispered to him, kissing his forehead before I teleported to Hell. I stood on a ridge looking down at a ridge of swirling black, purple and green clouds that marked the sky's of the ring of void; the tenth ring of Hell.


End file.
